


Leader of the Pack

by hogwartshoney



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 17:24:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hogwartshoney/pseuds/hogwartshoney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snape learns to love his werewolf pack - even when the pups climb all over him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leader of the Pack

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Snupin Fantasy Fest over at LiveJournal.  
> This tale is spun from pure cane sugar.

~:~:~

Severus pauses outside the front door to his home and checks the wards. Bad luck would have it that he was away during a full moon, but his case had ended early, and the International Portkey Office managed to find him a last-minute trip home.

There is no sound or other indication of danger, and he knows that Lupin is more than responsible enough to ensure that the Wolfsbane has been taken properly, but still, Severus reluctantly admits to himself, he always feels better _being there_ during the full.

The door opens silently as the wards fall, and then there is a flare of magic at his back as they re-set. Severus glances around the room and can just discern the shimmer of the extra protection he'd cast on the house prior to his departure. He would never question his own prowess as a Potions Master, but the full moon and werewolves are not things to be trifled with. He is also satisfied to note that the furniture appears intact this time around, as do the rugs and the curtains. Having a house full of werewolf energy with no outlet is never easy on the furnishings, and he muses that _this_ month, if all goes well, he should be able to modify the basement enough for an additional room. He had tried before, but the magical properties of Wizardspace are not as linear as one might wish. No, such endeavours require patience, forethought, and a great deal of magical energy.

Suddenly, there's a rush of skittering feet on the hard wood floors and panting breaths, and Severus barely has time to send his briefcase to his lab with a flick of his wand before the pack is upon him, a mass of black and brown with open mouths, brilliant white teeth and flailing claws.

For a moment, an image of that one night in the Shrieking Shack flashes through his mind, but there's no fear associated with this rush. Instead, Severus raises his hands, fixing them all with a serious look, and the pack skids to a halt at his feet where they sit obediently, panting, their tails wagging and their front paws dancing in excitement.

Severus looks over the group carefully, noting that each animal appears to be healthy and well. His eyes move slowly, but unerringly stop at the largest wolf whose eyes shine with blatant affection. Severus nods, and the wolf bows his head in acknowledgement before moving forward a few steps and pressing his head against Severus' thigh. Kneeling, Severus buries his hands and face into the wolf's furry neck while the long tail thumps against the floor.

"Hello, my boy," he murmurs, unable to think of Lupin as a 'man' when he's in his wolf form. Sometimes he wonders whether the other man even cares, because certainly the wolf doesn't, but then the long tongue licks his ear and the side and back of his neck which is as close to a welcoming kiss as a wolf can get.

After another gentle pat on Lupin's head, Severus rises, once more surveying the pack critically. He sighs dramatically, but it's really only a mock-sigh, and both he and the pack know it as their tails wag harder. They stay sitting until he removes his outer robe and settles himself on the large sofa.

"All right. Come."

The words are barely out of his mouth before he is enveloped by licking tongues, warm bodies, and little yelps and cries of excitement as each wolf cub tries to climb into his lap or burrow between his back and the sofa's cushions.

Wolfsbane is really the only thing that makes this even halfway bearable, Severus muses, but he knows that he lies even to himself. The werewolf children that he and Lupin have adopted are a source of unimagined joy to them both, and for someone who grew up unhappy and alone, Severus could never have thought that his life would ever turn out to be something worthwhile.

Eventually the mad greetings reduce in their intensity, and Severus is able to stretch out on the sofa with Lupin on one side and a dark-brown pup on the other. The remaining wolves have commandeered the rug near the fire all save one, the largest of the lot, who has curled around Severus' left foot and is fast asleep. Severus leans his head against the soft cushions and closes his eyes, letting the soft and steady breathing of the pack lull him to sleep.

~:~:~

It is not yet dawn, but the sky outside the windows is turning from inky black to lighter hues. Severus opens his eyes slowly, unwilling to move and disturb this most precious of sights. Moony has turned over onto his back with his legs in the air and his head tucked at what seems to be an awkward angle along Severus' thigh. Gravity has pulled the wolf's lips away from his teeth and the long fangs click together as the wolf appears to lap in his sleep. A broad smile steals its way onto Severus' face and he is filled with a huge rush of affection for the creature and the man within, but the moment is fleeting as moon set brings about the change back into human form.

Fortunately, Severus' research and subsequent modification of the Wolfsbane makes the potion slightly more palatable and the transformations virtually painless, but the lycanthropes are still a bit sore in the day following the change. He knows that the rest of the day will be spent predominantly with the youngsters, hearing about their arguments and adventures during his two-day absence while he cooks a large cauldron of soup, filled with meat and vegetables and barley. He will ensure that they are properly washed up before bedtime and will read to them for a while before administering calming and healing draughts and ushering them all to bed.

Severus knows that he will stand in the doorway of the large bedroom and watch as his pack sleeps, and he will not be ashamed at the rush of pride and love that will well up inside his chest. He also knows that Lupin will stand behind him and wrap long arms around his chest, and they will stand like that for a few more moments before he takes Lupin to bed and makes love to him in a variety of ways, each trying to articulate without words just how much he loves this man and the life they've built together.

~:~ fin ~:~


End file.
